Tragedy in Delhi: Father's Desperate Calls Reveal Son Among Red Fort Blast Victims

Bhure Mishra attempted to contact his three sons in Delhi after seeing news of the deadly explosion. Two answered his calls, but Dinesh remained unreachable.

From Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh, approximately 600 kilometers from Delhi, Bhure Mishra witnessed the devastating blast footage circulating across media platforms. Concerned about his three sons living in the capital, he immediately tried contacting each of them. While two responded, Dinesh's silence sparked growing anxiety. Hours later, his worst fears were confirmed: Dinesh had perished in the explosion near Delhi's historic Red Fort.

Dinesh Mishra, father to three children, earned his livelihood at an invitation card shop in Old Delhi. He resided in Delhi alongside his brothers and eight-year-old son, while his wife Reena and two daughters remained in their Shravasti home.

According to Bhure Mishra, Dinesh had worked in Delhi for approximately a decade and had visited home just a week prior. "I discovered the news about the blast while watching television around 8 pm. When I called my sons, Dinesh's phone was switched off. My eldest son later informed me of his death in the explosion," he explained. Both Dinesh's wife Reena and mother Savitri are devastated by the loss. "We have lost everything," Savitri lamented.

The explosion claimed nine lives and injured over 20 individuals near a traffic signal on Netaji Subhash Marg, situated between the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk. Most victims were in the area for work-related purposes. Pankaj Saini, a cab driver who had just dropped a passenger at Chandni Chowk, became caught in the tragedy. Amar Kataria, who operated a medicine shop near Red Fort, was heading home when the blast occurred. Cousins Noman and Aman, who ran a cosmetics business in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli, had traveled to Chandni Chowk for supplies. Ashok Gupta and Lokesh Gupta from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, who had arranged to meet that evening, both died in the explosion.

At Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi, where victims' remains are being released to relatives, a somber silence prevails, occasionally broken by the grief-stricken cries of bereaved families. While some have received answers to their unanswered calls, others continue waiting, as several bodies remain unidentifiable due to severe damage. As investigators work to reconstruct the events leading to this deadly explosion, nine families face the overwhelming task of rebuilding their lives without knowing how to begin.